Nine beautifully crafted essays explore the cultural and natural history of the ponderosa pine in the West.

Authors Carl E. Fiedler and Stephen F. Arno recount the history of humans among the ponderosa pines, the historical role of fire, how and why the forest has changed, and what people can do to restore the forest to its former glory.

This paper presents a broad-based synthesis of the general ecology of the ponderosa pine ecosystem in the Black Hills. This synthesis contains information and results of research on ponderosa pine from numerous sources within the Black Hills ecosystem. We discuss the silvical characteristics of ponderosa pine, natural disturbances that govern ecosystem processes, wildlife habitat and management, various silvicultural methods to manage ponderosa pine forests, and watershed management of the Black Hills.